Catherine of Austria (1295–1323)
Encyclopedia
Catherine of Austria was a daughter of Albert I of Germany
and his wife Elisabeth of Tirol
. She was a member of the powerful House of Habsburg. She was Duchess of Calabria
by her marriage.
, Frederick the Fair, Leopold I, Duke of Austria
, Albert II, Duke of Austria
, Otto, Duke of Austria
and Agnes, Queen of Hungary
, Anna, Margravine of Brandenburg
and Elisabeth, Duchess of Lorraine
.
Her maternal grandparents were Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia
and Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Germany
. Her paternal grandparents were Rudolph I of Germany
and his first wife, Gertrude of Hohenburg
. Elisabeth of Bavaria was daughter of Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
and his wife Agnes of the Palatinate
.
Agnes was daughter of Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine
and his first wife Agnes of Hohenstaufen. Henry was son of Henry the Lion
and his second wife Matilda of England
. Matilda was daughter of Henry II of England
and Eleanor of Aquitaine
.
had separated from him due to political reasons so Philip was free to remarry. However, the union between Catherine and Philip was dissolved. Philip instead married Catherine de la Tour du Pin.
Catherine may have been betrothed to someone from the Duchy of Brabant
, possibly John II, Duke of Brabant
. If this betrothal did take place, it was quickly dissolved by Catherine's brothers because their father had been murdered and had been succeeded by Henry of Luxembourg as Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor
. The brothers' plan was to marry off their sister to the Emperor in order to create an alliance with him. However only one year after becoming emperor, Henry died without marrying Catherine.
Catherine was finally married aged twenty-one in 1316 to Charles, Duke of Calabria
. However the marriage that Catherine and her family had waited for did not last for very long. The couple were married for seven childless years before Catherine died in Naples
on 18 January 1323. She was buried at San Lorenzo Maggiore
, in Naples.
After Catherine's death, Charles remarried to Maria of Valois, who became mother of Joan I of Naples
.
Albert I of Germany
Albert I of Habsburg was King of the Romans and Duke of Austria, the eldest son of German King Rudolph I of Habsburg and his first wife Gertrude of Hohenburg.-Life:...
and his wife Elisabeth of Tirol
Elisabeth of Tirol
Elisabeth of Gorizia-Tyrol from the House of Meinhardin was Queen of the Romans, Queen of Germany and Duchess of Austria by marriage...
. She was a member of the powerful House of Habsburg. She was Duchess of Calabria
Duchess of Calabria
Duchess of Calabria was the traditional title of the wife of the heir apparent of the Kingdom of Naples after the accession of Robert of Naples. It was also adopted by the heads of certain Houses that had once claimed the Kingdom of Naples in lieu of the royal title.There are at present two...
by her marriage.
Family
Catherine was the seventh of twelve children. Her siblings included: Rudolph I of BohemiaRudolph I of Bohemia
Rudolf I of Habsburg was Duke of Austria and Styria from 1298 and King of Bohemia and titular King of Poland from 1306 until his death...
, Frederick the Fair, Leopold I, Duke of Austria
Leopold I, Duke of Austria
Leopold I from the House of Habsburg was Duke of Austria and Styria – as co-ruler with his elder brother Frederick the Fair – from 1308 until his death...
, Albert II, Duke of Austria
Albert II, Duke of Austria
Albert II of Austria , known as the Wise or the Lame, was Duke of Austria.-Life:Albert II was born at Habsburg, the son of Albert I of Germany, Rex Romanorum, and Elisabeth of Tirol...
, Otto, Duke of Austria
Otto, Duke of Austria
Otto IV, the Merry was a Duke of Austria and the youngest son of Albert I of Germany and Elisabeth of Tirol.Otto was born in Vienna. He had two brothers, namely Frederick the Handsome and Albert II...
and Agnes, Queen of Hungary
Agnes of Austria (1281-1364)
Agnes of Austria was a daughter of Albert I of Germany and his wife Elisabeth of Tirol. She was Queen of Hungary by marriage. She was a member of the House of Habsburg.- Family :Agnes was one of twelve children...
, Anna, Margravine of Brandenburg
Anna of Austria (1275–1327)
Anna of Austria was a daughter of Albert I of Germany and his wife Elisabeth of Tirol. She was a member of the House of Habsburg.- Family :Anna was born in Vienna the eighth of twelve children...
and Elisabeth, Duchess of Lorraine
Elisabeth of Austria (d.1353)
Elisabeth of Austria , also known as Isabelle, was a daughter of Albert I of Germany and his wife Elisabeth of Gorizia-Tyrol. She was a member of the House of Habsburg.- Family :Elisabeth was the tenth of twelve children...
.
Her maternal grandparents were Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia
Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia
Meinhard II from the House of Meinhardin was ruling Count of Gorizia from 1258 until 1271 and Count of Tyrol from 1258 until his death...
and Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Germany
Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Germany
Elisabeth of Bavaria was the queen consort of Conrad IV of Germany.-Family:She was the eldest daughter of Otto II, Duke of Bavaria and Agnes of the Palatinate...
. Her paternal grandparents were Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I was King of the Romans from 1273 until his death. He played a vital role in raising the Habsburg dynasty to a leading position among the Imperial feudal dynasties...
and his first wife, Gertrude of Hohenburg
Gertrude of Hohenburg
Gertrude of Hohenzollern was the first Queen consort of Rudolph I of Germany.-Family:She was born to Burckhard III of Hohenzollern, Count of Hohenberg and his wife Mechtild of Tübingen....
. Elisabeth of Bavaria was daughter of Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
Otto II of Bavaria was the Duke of Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine . He was a son of Louis I and Ludmilla of Bohemia and a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty.- Biography :...
and his wife Agnes of the Palatinate
Agnes of the Palatinate
Agnes of the Palatinate was a daughter of Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine and his first wife Agnes, daughter of Conrad, Count Palatine of the Rhine . Agnes was Duchess of Bavaria by her marriage to Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria....
.
Agnes was daughter of Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine
Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine
Henry was count palatine of the Rhine from 6 August 1195 to 1213.Henry was the eldest son of Duke Henry the Lion, from his marriage to Matilda, eldest daughter of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He grew up in England and became count palatine of the Rhine through his 1193...
and his first wife Agnes of Hohenstaufen. Henry was son of Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion was a member of the Welf dynasty and Duke of Saxony, as Henry III, from 1142, and Duke of Bavaria, as Henry XII, from 1156, which duchies he held until 1180....
and his second wife Matilda of England
Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony
Matilda of England was the eldest daughter of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Through her marriage with Henry the Lion, she was Duchess of Saxony and later of Bavaria.-Early life:...
. Matilda was daughter of Henry II of England
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
and Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...
.
Life
Catherine was betrothed twice before she was married. Her first betrothal is referred to in the Turin State Archives to Philip I of Piedmont. Philip's first wife Isabella of VillehardouinIsabella of Villehardouin
Isabella of Villehardouin was the elder daughter of William II of Villehardouin, Prince of Achaea, and of his second wife Anna, the third daughter of Michael II Komnenos Doukas, the despot of Epiros....
had separated from him due to political reasons so Philip was free to remarry. However, the union between Catherine and Philip was dissolved. Philip instead married Catherine de la Tour du Pin.
Catherine may have been betrothed to someone from the Duchy of Brabant
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. Its territory consisted essentially of the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and most of the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.The Flag of...
, possibly John II, Duke of Brabant
John II, Duke of Brabant
John II van Brabant , also called John the Peaceful, was Duke of Brabant, Lothier and Limburg...
. If this betrothal did take place, it was quickly dissolved by Catherine's brothers because their father had been murdered and had been succeeded by Henry of Luxembourg as Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VII was the King of Germany from 1308 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1312. He was the first emperor of the House of Luxembourg...
. The brothers' plan was to marry off their sister to the Emperor in order to create an alliance with him. However only one year after becoming emperor, Henry died without marrying Catherine.
Catherine was finally married aged twenty-one in 1316 to Charles, Duke of Calabria
Charles, Duke of Calabria
Charles, Duke of Calabria was the son of King Robert of Naples and Yolanda of Aragon.-Biography:Born in Naples, he became Duke of Calabria in 1309 on his father's accession, and was created Vicar-General of the Kingdom of Sicily...
. However the marriage that Catherine and her family had waited for did not last for very long. The couple were married for seven childless years before Catherine died in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
on 18 January 1323. She was buried at San Lorenzo Maggiore
San Lorenzo Maggiore
San Lorenzo Maggiore is a town and comune in the province of Benevento, in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is a member of the Titerno "Local Action Group".-Festivals:...
, in Naples.
After Catherine's death, Charles remarried to Maria of Valois, who became mother of Joan I of Naples
Joan I of Naples
Joan I , born Joanna of Anjou, was Queen of Naples from 1343 until her death. She was also Countess of Provence and Forcalquier, Queen consort of Majorca and titular Queen of Jerusalem and Sicily 1343–82, and Princess of Achaea 1373/5–81....
.